Amid the dissatisfied moans of the Shahan beasts, the caravan stepped on the endless sea of ​​sand. The goods hanging on the backs of the pack beasts were fixed by raised baffles, and there were many nets firmly covering them to ensure that the things inside did not fall.
Standing on the sand dunes from a distance, you can see the north-south mountains standing in front of them, which naturally forms an obstacle, but as long as you pass through this mountain range, their destination will be very close.
However, some empty mountains have always been a place that the city-state residents are more taboo. Although they originated there, their ancestors had long abandoned them. However, in the scary story of the night, the mountains are not empty. Those abandoned existences always look at everything coming and going with their vicious eyes.
To arrive at the foot of the mountain when "day" comes, there is a shelter, after which they will cross the valley in the evening and spend the night in the caves in the valley. The leader here has walked here four or five times, and he believes that the route is absolutely safe.
No one would doubt it.
Walking in the sea of ​​death is like walking on a large pot of roasting fire. Everyone wraps themselves tightly, because the hot wind in the sea of ​​sand is fatal. Fortunately, the robes woven with insect silk on them are extremely heat-insulating, and long-term living in high temperatures has also allowed the residents of this world to have better heat resistance and will not turn them into mummies in high temperatures.
After walking for a while, just as many people were almost dizzy, the leader began to sing, and the high tone echoed in the sound of the wind.
Before he sang to the second verse, most people sang with him.
Because the mountains are already near, the white rocks are even reflecting in the blazing sunlight, which means that their trek is about to end, and everyone will have the opportunity to drink water when entering the shelter, because that can minimize the waste of water.
But just as they had seen the dark hole in the shelter, the captain of the guard walking in front suddenly stopped, raised one hand, and warned everyone to keep quiet.
The Sahan beasts stopped in a squeaking sound.
The chanting master came down from the back of the Sahan beast, and Rikas helped him and walked lightly to the leader.
“What’s the situation?”
His voice was low and a little hoarse. Although he was the only person who could ride a carriage beast, the long-term direct sunlight still made him dry.
The team leader looked back at the team.
"I seemed to hear the roar of something... Damn, everyone is thirsty and tired, the chanting master, we may have encountered the raiders tribe, this is a premeditated ambush."
Ricas glanced at the white rock cliff, as if he could see the malicious shadows between the peaks.
The Raiders tribe, he almost thought it was just a legend, some mountain caves were abandoned, and residents moved to places that were more suitable for survival, but not everyone left, some stayed, voluntary, involuntary, those who were considered burdens, deformed children, and sick...
They should have fled themselves in abandoned places and ended up leaving nothing, but this is not the case.
They survived, and although they had no idea where they got the water, these terrible predators howled in the wind, and more importantly, in the stories Ricas heard, their food was special-
At least his father said that those tribes of predators were cannibals.
The chanting master was obviously knowledgeable and did not panic, but also glanced around the environment and whispered:
“It’s not suitable for defense here.”
"Of course it's not suitable. We have to go into the shadows, and the other party is waiting for us to do so, but we can't put ourselves under the scorching sun."
After saying that, the team leader with rich combat experience waved and asked the team to continue to set off, but the weapons had been quietly distributed, and all the adult men were whispered to be prepared for the fight.
In this cruel world, barbarism is still the mainstream, and fighting and death are not rare even in the city-state.
Ricas got a scimitar from the teacher, which was the weapon of the chanter when he was young. Now that he is old, he can't swing the knife anymore. Ricas is his protector. Then the boy took out his dagger, and he also knew that he had to protect the teacher's safety.
Soon the scorching sun above their heads was shaded by the shadows of the towering peaks. At this time, there was still some distance from the shelter, but the team stopped.
The leader raised the horn to his mouth and blew it hard, and ordered everyone to circle the Sahan beasts. The pack beasts themselves have thick scales and fur. When they lie on the ground, they shrink their heads to protect their abdomen and heads, ordinary weapons will be difficult to harm them, so they can serve as a barrier.
It was like a signal, and another horn sounded, and the sound was wild and unruly, like the howling of a wild beast.
"Don't be afraid, we have weapons! Keep water in the middle."
The leader shouted loudly, and the strange horn sound had already revealed the identity of the visitor.
Walking in the sea of ​​death, the caravan will naturally not lack combat effectiveness. Fifty or sixty adults, including the chef, hold metal weapons, and the boys prepare their threshing ropes, which are the most common ranged weapons.
The next moment, in the shadow of the rock peak, many ugly and barbaric figures emerged, and the noisy roars and thunderous footsteps shocked everyone's senses.
Ricas remained calm and faced the horror scene.
It was a group of savages who had no clothes, only simple armor made of human bones, their dark skin was covered with dirt and scars, and some had obvious deformities on their bodies. They were mainly made of stones and bones, but their chests were painted with red paint, which looked like half a gear. The first time Ricas knew the gear was from the story of his father when he was a child, he heard his father talk about the terrible red-clothed Witch King, and their favorite was this evil magic symbol.
However, they are quite large, and they seem to be twice as many as the caravan. The one who leads them is a tall monster with a distorted face, which is a significant consequence of inbreeding, but it is very strong, covered with skulls, holding a huge stone hammer in his right hand, and a shield made of human ribs in his left hand.
The savage plunderers came in full force, and many people were so scared that their faces turned pale, but Ricas suddenly noticed a detail.
Among them were some guys waving iron chains, where did these savages get this kind of thing?
At this moment, his mentor suddenly spoke:
"Oh no, they are here to capture slaves for the red-clothed witch kings."
The red-clothed Witch King, when he heard this title, even the leader trembled.
It was a nightmare legend that had existed in the Ata world before the arrival of the Sun Clan. It is said that it was a demon who escaped from hell. He was wearing a blood-red garment and lived in a huge castle made of black metal and constantly spitting out black smoke. The castle was filled with enslaved living dead people. These witch kings also drove evil magic of flames and lightning. Fortunately, they seemed to rarely go out. After the Sun Clan appeared, it was said that these demons were afraid of the light of the Sun Emperor.
However, most people just regard it as a legend.
But a few well-informed people know that this is by no means a legend. The red-clothed witch kings have endless hunger for slaves. They will drive the barbarians to capture slaves for themselves, and at the same time they will give these barbarian tribes water and food, and even some tools and weapons.
The leader of each caravan prays when he sets out that he will not run into the Witch King's slave capturing team.
But today it seems that they are not very lucky.
Faced with this situation, the chanter could only close his eyes and recite the scriptures, as if he was praying for the help of the Sun Emperor, while the leader held up his throat and shouted.
"Everyone drinks water! If you drink enough, you will fight them back!"
He dared not say that this was the Witch King's slave hunting team, otherwise everyone's morale might collapse directly.
Chapter completed!